Identical Interchange
by Kuniyoshi
Summary: AU. Lovina Vargas has been exiled from her home and moves to Spain for clarity. At least, this is how it seems. She works for 'the state', and has actually come to a small desert village in Spain to meet someone very particular. However, will she ever succeed if the annoying native Antonio wont go away? T for potential violence and the usage of fancy words! [ Fem!Romano ]
1. Arrival

**So, this is my first story… I don't own Hetalia, sadly! There are no pairings as of yet, but feel free to suggest any relevant ones that you would like. Enjoy!**

* * *

_~ 1915 ~_

The young girl boarded the train, stopping in her surprisingly brisk tracks to speak with the conductor. She shifted her heavy looking leather suitcase to the opposite white gloved hand, reaching into her pocket. She produced an iron chain, on the end of which hung a round, golden object. The conductor's head bobbed, gesturing for her to enter the carriage. Once inside, she noticed that it was not as densely packed as she had imagined; perhaps she had been naïve about the amount of people who would board. She seated herself, suitcase by her side, on a rather uncomfortable and itchy beige seat. The hunter green cloak around her neck was pulled up into a hood which hid her eyes. The inhabitants of the train, mainly middle-class citizens with the odd child, all had the same inquisitive look upon their faces as they simultaneously gazed upon the mysterious character who had sat down only moments before. She was aware; woefully aware, in fact, that they were staring. It bothered the girl greatly, yet she went to substantial lengths to hide it as she wished to fit in. Shuffling in to a better position, she noticed that the train was leaving the platform and she could begin her journey. Dropping her head to the floor, the female pressed her gloved hands together as if to pray. Her golden eyes lit up after the brief thought, her body twisting to rummage in the brown leather bag next to her. A small, tattered book was produced. She flipped to a marked page, scanning the scorched text intensely. Many of the passengers had began to wonder why a, potentially higher-class, young woman was on the train to nowhere. Turning the page, her hand traced the words as the other held the book.

Several stops over, the general bustle of the train had quieted down by only a miniscule amount, due to the gain of persons. Seats were being filled, including the ones adjacent to the girl. But, just as she was reaching an intriguing paragraph, she was stopped mid-sentence. A young man, seemingly a similar age to that of her, had asked her a question. His green eyes glinted as a ray of sun streamed in from the window a curtain had previously blocked before she had shuffled and thus, it had been moved. An angular, brunette eyebrow on her face was raised as she could not recall what he had said. A wide smile crept across his face as he pointed to the seat across from her. "Do you mind?" he spoke, a Spanish accent in his voice. She shook her head while peeking over the top of her book, motioning for him to go ahead and join her. Not wishing to seem rude, she placed her book away after marking the page with the same slip of paper as before. The Spaniard lowered his head to see her eyes, before she realised that it ill-mannered of her to have kept her hood up. While she busied herself taking down the capuche, which was not something that took too long, his eyes flicked over her outfit. Gloves in the desert? "Antonio." he reached his hand out, the smile appearing once again on his tanned face. Hers extended, a slight nod initiated.

"Lovina." he leaned forward in an intrigued fashion at the sound of the clear Italian in her speech. She tilted her head, straight brown locks falling over the left half of her face.

"Are you… going somewhere? Dressed like that?" he indicated towards her attire. A look of shock materialized on her face, somewhat offended.

"I'm going to… Almera." Lovina stated from memory, allowing him to take in her get-up again.

"You are a girl, right?" his voice cracked in confusion as he eyed her khaki trousers. A laugh escaped her rosy lips.

"Well, yes… is it not obvious?" another look of surprise came across her face; this time with a blend of sarcasm.

"Not really, you… are we-" she raised her left hand to Antonio's face, index finger pointing to the sky.

"I'm on official business." the girl foraged in her case, once again revealing the golden object from it. His eyes widened as she opened the object that he now knew was a watch. But not just any watch.

"You're military! I'm sorry I asked!" he raised his hands and his voice partially, other passengers on the train beginning to take an interest in her once again. a similar laugh was heard from Lovina's mouth.

"No, this is for the state. I don't work for the army!" her voice shook with laughter, the watch going into her pocket this time. Antonio exhaled deeply.

"I thought you looked too young…" his voice was quiet, yet still audible. The was a pause as the Italian folded her legs, pulling her cloak closer around her neck. Her black cheongsam top was outlined in white, which was what had given him the impression.

The mindless chit-chat continued until the train reached Almera, at which point Lovina was surprised at the aesthetics of the place. She hadn't been informed that she was actually going to a desert settlement… The girl stood, retrieving her suitcase and holding it over her shoulder with her left arm. Antonio followed her out, supposedly going the same way. "Sooo…" he mumbled, straightening his coarse beige shirt.

"Do you… live here?" she signalled to the barren wasteland that was now her home for the coming weeks. The Spaniard nodded. The female noticed within seconds that everyone around her was tanned; obviously. They lived in a desert… She was not pale, but she had a much more subtle tan than the Spanish. Also, she was not quite dressed for the weather. "Is there a metalwork shop? Or any kind of herb market!?" she was freaking out now, there might not have been an library where she could study!

"Uh, we have a herb stall…" he gestured to the shoddily crafted stand to his right, by this time Lovina was already sprinting towards it.

"I'll take two hundred and thirty grams of paprika, one hundred and twenty-five of cinnamon-" Antonio rudely interrupted her order.

"Are you a cook or something?" he was just a curious person. She stopped speaking with the shop assistant to turn to him in a flash. She gulped, unsure of what to say.

"... No." she rubbed the back of her head, an anxious smile on her face. Pivoting back to the shopkeeper to pay, she felt the young man's odd stare upon her. The girl in question took her small bag of herbs and placed them in her pocket as she walked away from the stall.

"Do you have a job?" he asked.

"Yes." she sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her gloved hand. Lovina eyed him. "I work for the state, remember?" she hoped to shift the conversation, but it was set in stone.

"That's vague, what do you actually do?" Antonio persisted, folding his arms against his chest as they continued to walk. She paused for a second, shifting her suitcase in her hands; a slight jangle of metal being heard.

"Hey, we just met! Don't be so nosy!" she yelled, walking with the same brisk pace she had began her journey on as she stepped away from him. He shrugged, walking back to his original destination of his home. Meanwhile, Lovina had come across a small café. "Excuse me, sir?" she waved vaguely at a man behind a newspaper. His head popped up from behind it.

"Yes?" a thick, almost distracting, Spanish accent shrouded his speech.

"Do you know of a… Mr Jones? And where he might be?" she checked the saved page in her leather book for reference.

"Alfred Jones? I wouldn't associate myself with his kind, if I were you, miss." The Italian was thoroughly taken aback by that comment.

"I'm sorry… is there something wrong with him?" her arms were now folded, the heavy luggage bag in mid air.

"I hear he's an…" the older gentleman leaned in to whisper. "Alchemist." The girl furrowed her brows.

"What's wrong with that!?" She could not believe her ears.

"They're deceitful, is all! Anyway, he lives down that path, you'll know the place." he gestured vaguely away from him, raising his paper and therefore excluding himself from the conversation. Her fists were clenched as stomped away from the rude native. What's wrong with alchemy!? she pondered, searching from Mr Jones' house. She wandered for what seemed like hours in the calescent desert, most likely away from civilisation. The Italian suddenly stopped in her tracks as something appeared in the distance. She ran to it, the faint metallic noise sounding as she did so. Eventually, she was in the presence of a rather large mansion. It looked way too posh to be out in the desert, but their must have been a reason for it. Taking a deep breath, Lovina reached up to the door knocker and tapped it, standing back and waiting. Within moments, a young man who appeared to be just older than her opened the door.

"Mr Jones?" she asked, feeling that he was to young to have the esteemed job she'd been informed of. A grin appeared on his face, the man then motioning for her to enter his abode.

* * *

**Sorry if it's confusing, all will make sense soon… I hope! I spent quite a while on this and would rather like to feel as if it has not been a waste, so if you were intrigued please PM me or drop a review!**

**~ Kuniyoshi**


	2. Protege

**Well, I have to say, OVER 400 VIEWS IN 10 HOURS! That's pretty awesome! Also, I got a heck load of PMs, favourites and followers… Thanks! It really means a lot that you present your enjoyment in such a fashion. Anyway, on with the story…**

* * *

Lovina stood awkwardly for a moment; not quite certain as to what to do next, even though she had been invited in. After a thought process, the young girl stepped forward and into the house. She looked around, surprised by her surroundings. "You are Lovina, right?" Mr Jones asked, almost worried. She turned from the fanciful hallway to face him.

"Yes." holding up her pocket watch for him to inspect; her eyes once again wandered to the environment, which seemed to be far nicer than anything the other residents of Almeria could ever dream. The man took hold of the object, placing it behind him.

"Okay then!" he clapped his hands together, ushering her into the living room. She took a seat, almost wary.

"Um, there was a guy… a few miles back… and he sai-" she began, gloved hands interlocking.

"Oh, yeah," he paused to change his cheerful expression to one of a serious manor. "People around here don't like our kind, they think we're all lying thieves…" he finished with a sigh and a 'what can you do?' pout on his peachy face.

"But… we're not all bad!" she mumbled. The other man, who she'd now recognised was American, stepped forward and placed a hand on her right shoulder.

"Perhaps they are just ignorant fools." she looked up from the floor her head had been hung to, piercing his blue eyes with her golden ones.

"Now!" he clapped again, presumably for effect. "We must examine your file!" She was stunned by this, not realising that Mr Jones would have access to such an item. He searched a large, oak bureau that was behind him. After a while, said item was produced. He gestured for her to take a seat and wait while he read. It was kind of obvious to tell what he was reading as he muttered the words as he took them in. Lovina sat with her hands on her bag, waiting for a response. It still amazed her that such a remote town could afford to build this luxurious home, but the man must of had some form of exchange for the residents. "Okay!" the clapping was becoming exceedingly annoying by this point. "You're… 15," she nodded as he peered over the top of the cream coloured file. "You're from Italy," she responded again. "And you became a certified state alchemist at-"

"12." she stated, allowing him to take it in.

"That's very young, probably the youngest alchemist the state have acquired! You must have some mad skills to have pulled that off." she blushed slightly. "Honestly, I was expecting you to be a lot older than 15… maybe 20, 30… you're just a little kid!" he laughed, Lovina not recognising the humour.

"I'm not a little kid!" she turned away, hood flapping with the brisk movement.

"Dude, you're five inches smaller than me! Haha!" Mr Jones continued, laughing hard as he reached out to pat the young girl's head. His arm was halted by Lovina's hand grabbing it. He ceased his giggling.

The man looked over his glasses at her, whose expression was one of vague anger. "Your hand…" he mumbled, it had not been in her file. The Italian looked down at the rug she was standing on, losing her grip.

"What about it?" her voice was short and choppy.

"It's… what… I don't… moving on!" he slammed his hands together, a flash of green light sparking from between them. A book was produced, from which he read. "Alchemy! You're here for inspection, right?" he pointed at her enthusiastically.

"That's right, sir. But first," Lovina shut her eyes for a moment, hands together with the left one's index and middle finger pointing to the sky. A sudden burst of golden energy flew from her gloved palms, which she aimed at the man in question's face. A few seconds later, he blinked with an amnesia-filled expression on his face.

"Ahem. I'll show you to where you'll be staying!" he motioned for her to follow him up the winding staircase. A slight smirk came across Lovina's face as Mr Jones had been unaware of her use of alchemy against him. After a few moments, a door was opened before her and she entered.

"Thank you." she bowed graciously, placing her bag on a comfy looking chair by the windowsill. Staring out of the window at the now setting sun, the girl began to feel bad for erasing the memory of a man of such stature. He'll never know… she thought, enjoying the irony.

Lovina suddenly realised that she should probably prepare dinner; Alfred did not seem like a man who would be able to cook anything that wasn't American. Jogging down the stairs, she pulled her green cloak from around her neck and placed it on the end of the white banister. Her black sleeves had become bunched under the coat; she pulled them down as she continued into the kitchen. "Would you like me to make dinner, or are you just gonna… look at the table?" she stifled a giggle, taking in the sight of a fully grown man staring at a table for no apparent reason. He blinked, still gazing. The Italian clapped her hands together, slamming them down on the table to make a point.

"Whaa-" Mr Jones jumped back as a flash of green lights spammed from the table. "You just- what!?" he paced out of the room, finding the watch he had taken earlier. "Without the… what!?" Meanwhile, Lovina was standing, confused, studying her hands. "It's in your gloves, right?" he chuckled, stepping forward.

"No, don-" But it was done. The gloves were off. "Hey look!" she pointed at the array of food on the table, but the analytical professional could not take his eyes off of her hands. Or rather, hand.

"Marvelous work… may I?" he clutched the air before the palms the girl was holding out. A deep sigh escaped her lips.

"I… crafted it myself." the alchemist grasped his new protege's artificial arm. It was not a complex design, but it must have been built by hand as alchemy required two hands.

"Do you have just the one prosthetic limb? Or…" his hand balled into a fist as he took a small step back from her. The next thing he knew, Alfred was on the floor; clutching his banging fist.

"Uh, my leg." Lovina laughed, the man balling up on the floor was indeed amusing. She crouched down, the faint sound of metal becoming audible. Her amber eyes closed, the hand that was real placing two fingers on the man's forehead. Once they opened, there was a flash from the orbs. Mr Jones was supposed to be the teacher, yet he was now certain that there was much to learn from this girl. His hand was no longer in pain.

"How do you do that… without the watch? Most alchemists have to draw a conversion circle, or use a token; I thought the watch was yours…" The girl shook her head, helping the man to his feet.

"It's just a sign that I work for the state, I actually became an alchemist because I don't need to use a circle or token. Cool, eh?" she grinned, the other feeling very awkward and inadequate against her raw talent.

* * *

**Yup, there have been more mysteries involved! You shall have to read on to figure them out! Leave me any feedback if you wish.**

**~ Kuniyoshi**


	3. Scrutinized

**I didn't expect so many views! *****_Cries_***** You guys make my day, you know... c:**

* * *

Antonio exhaled deeply, bowing his head as he pulled the ripe fruits from their green stalks, placing them in a wicker basket for late cleaning. He crouched to collect the lower ones, inspecting each one to be affirmative that it was glowing with a healthy red colour. A hunter green hooded character wandered past the farm, a curl of seal brown hair protruding from the facial region. "... Lovina?" he wiped a flock of sweat beads from his forehead with the back of his hand, watching the girl spin on her heel to face him.

"Oh, good morning." a light smile curled upon her face. Her golden eyes glinted in the sun as she paced towards him. "Are you okay? You seem tired." she added, white hand gesturing towards his expression and half shut green eyes.

"I'm just going to take a little break, stay here, sí?" the girl nodded as her acquaintance slumped off for a nap. Checking to see that nobody was looking, Lovina removed her cloak and rolled up her sleeves; prosthetic arm in view. She slammed her hands together, a green spark emitting from between them. Her palms were placed down on the fertile soil. The Italian closed her eyes, ignoring the slushy mud seeping through her trousers. When she opened her oculi, there was a larger flash of green beams and the tomatoes began to pluck themselves from their stalks. Each one found it's way to the basket that Antonio had left behind, the culprit standing up and stepping away from the patches.

When the Spaniard returned, he blinked. "Did I…" he pointed in the direction of his now completed chore. "Did you?" Lovina merely shrugged. "But you were here…" he mumbled, taking the nacelle into his home with him. He beckoned his young friend, who picked up her cloak and jogged to catch up with him. Once inside, he began to wash the suspicious articles, allowing the Italian to seat herself. His chocolate locks bobbed about as he removed the stalks and scrubbed each fruit lightly. "So what is your job?" Antonio asked after a while, persisting. He'd asked several times before, yet was still curious. She exhaled deeply, would he never learn?

"I work for the state." The Spaniard nodded, knowing this prior to the statement.

"Dios mio… Is it so hard to tell me what you do!?" He placed the basket of tomatoes on the counter, turning to face her with an out of character stern expression.

"Well, no… I guess not." The Italian mumbled, covering her dirt covered knees with her cloak.

"Then what do you do!? Is it something you need skill for?" His head was tilted as he began his parade of redundant questions.

"Yes." Straight brunette hair fluttered as she nodded.

"Alright… do you have to be a girl?" He tapped his cheek thoughtfully.

"Nope!" A grin flashed across Lovina's face.

"Do you do a primary job like me?" Antonio asked, taking a seat opposite his guest.

"No."

"What kind of job do you do, then?" He was getting a little bit desperate by this point. The girl answered in the most confusing way she saw fit.

"Quaternary." The boy turned away for a moment, trying to recall what that meant.

"So you're a scientist." He stated, hoping he was right.

"... I guess it's kinda science." A look of shock appeared on his face.

"How can it be kinda science!? It either is or isn't, which one is it!?"

"It's science, sure. But not all that poking the earth kind of crap, alright?" Lovina stated, Italian accent flowing with every word.

"Do you work alone?"

"Normally."

"Stop being vague!" the look reappeared.

"If I wasn't vague, you'd know what I do for a living in an instant."

"You are human, yes?" He exhaled deeply, hand on his forehead. The girl's eyes widened slightly at the abstract question.

"What do you class as human?" Antonio was caught off guard by her quizzical reply.

"Uh, they look human, do human things, human jobs. I guess anyone who's not an animal, or some weird magical creep." he listed the traits on his fingers, grabbing a tomato and offering it to her. He tucked into one himself.

"No thank you." she raised her hand at the fruit.

"Anyway, you're my description of human, right?" he spoke through mouthfuls of the red food. Lovina decided there was no way around it, playing it safe was no longer an option.

"... I… I don't think… I'm human. By _your_ standards." She mumbled, pulling her sleeves down over her hands.

"W-_what_!? But you look human… you must be a weird magical creep, then. What are they called… um… Al-"

"You have _no_ right to be calling me a creep! Do you have a _problem_ with alchemists!?" she stood, pointing a white gloved finger in his direction.

"N-no, not personally… everyone around here loathes them though. That's why Mr Jones lives so far out, you know." He finished his tomato, wiping his mouth. "So you're a _real life_ alchemist!? Aren't you… evil or something?" he asked, not wishing to offend.

"No, I'm _not_ evil. We can do great things…" she sighed, falling back down into the chair.

"Such as…?" Antonio motioned for her to answer. The girl stepped over to the basket of fruits, placing them on the table. "Don't you have to use one of those circle things?" she shook her head, holding up the watch from her pocket. Slamming her palms together, a flash of green light sparking once again as she placed them on the table. A burst of energy emitted, the tomatoes replicating themselves to fill the entire table. Her acquaintance jumped in amazement. "That's so _cool_~!" he grinned, checking that the duplicates were in fact real.

"Thank you." Lovina bowed, repeating the act on her trousers and watching them become clean. She proceeded to exit the house, just as the boy followed her.

"Wait, what _is_ your job!?" he grabbed her shoulder, causing her to turn and grasp his wrist reflexively. The girl rummaged in her cloak before producing a scorched piece of paper.

_Name: Lovina Vargas_

_Age: 15_

_Gender: F_

_Occupation: State Alchemist, 12- present_

_Race: Alchemic/human hybrid_

"So… you _do_ work for the state. And you're only half human… that's awesome!" Antonio grinned as Lovina walked away, presumably back to her lodgings at Mr Jones' house. _A real alchemist… that's so amazing! I never thought I'd actually meet one._ He thought as he watched her leave his field of vision.

* * *

**You know what? I think I might edit this chapter later. It could be better, but if you're liking the story then that's good! I can only assume that the majority of you are American, and I'm British... the difference in time zones will cause it to seem like I'm posting new chapters at a weird time. But never fear! I don't stay up all night typing! Well, not every night... It's just the time zone, okay!? :D**

**~ Kuniyoshi**


End file.
